USA > Rhode Island > Bristol County > Bristol > Celebration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the settlement of the town of Bristol, Rhode Island : September 24th, A.D. 1880 > Part 12
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Sextant, used by Capt. John DeWolf during his early voyages.
Compass, made in Lisbon, 1719, and used on board of the ship "San
José," captured by " Tom Jones," in the brig "Yankee." L. by Mrs. E. A. Diman.
Handcuff and Shackles, used on board old Bristol slave ships.
Camp Broiler, used during the Revolution, 1. by Mrs. R. S. Andrews. Musket, (Queen Anne), 1745, 1. by Capt. Peleg R. Rose.
Brass Pistol, 1745,
Brass Mounted Sword, 1789, 1. by Capt. Peleg R. Rose.
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BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL.
Cannon Ball and Grape Shot, fired by Britishi, and plowed up on
the farm of Capt Win. HI. West, at Bristol Ferry, 1. by Win. H. West, Jr. Two Flint-Lock Muskets, 1 by Jesse Gladding.
Cartridge and Grape Shot, " " 66 Wooden Lock,
Chopping Knife, over 150 years old, 1. by Mrs. Asha Card.
Boot Jack, 1715, 1 by J. A. C. Gladding.
China Till, from the old Lee house, 1 by Mrs. Josephus Gooding.
Pewter Plate, about 200 years old, 1. by Samuel Coggeshall.
Spinning Wheel, 1. by Jesse Gladding
Sword, used by first Colonel (Samuel Wardwell) of Bristol Artillery, 1. by M. A. DeW. Howe.
Gentleman's Dress Sword, of last century, 1. by V. G. Peck.
Large Bombshell, fired by the British at the bombardment of Bristol by Wallace, 1775, and found in the garden of Jonathan Russell, on Hope street, 1 by J. R. Bullock.
Leg of Camp Bedstead, used in the Revolutionary war by Stephen Smith, 1. by JJ. R. Bullock.
Bassoon and Drum, the latter used at Fort Dumpling in war of 1812, 1. by George Alger.
Canteen, used by Preserved Abell during the war of the Revolution, 1. by Miss E. Morse.
Double-barrelled Flint-lock Pistol, 1. by Loring Coggeshall.
Pair of Flint-lock Duelling Pistols, 1. by Lewis H. DeWolf. Scales, with six weights, for weighing gold dust, used by Capt. Levi De Wolf on the west coast of Africa, 1790, 1. by Cordelia L. Allen.
Grape Shot, found on the shore of Bristol Harbor imbedded in a stone, where it had worn a deep hole, probably by motion caused by the tide. From the shape and size supposed to have been fired by the British. L. by Dr. J. C. Gallup.
Brass Camp Candlesticks, 1. by Mrs. G. Sherman.
Cup, made from part of man-o'-war Constitution, I by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry.
Flag, flown by Star of the West, when attempting to re inforce Fort Sumpter, April, 1860, and the first flag fired upon during the war of the rebellion. L. by C. Evans.
Whaleboat, made by W. C. Manchester, 1. by W. C. Manchester, Jr. Dressing Case, carried during the Revolutionary war, by Gen. James M. Varnum, 1 by Mrs. James DeW. Perry.
Pin Case, of enamelled copper, belonging to the wife of Gen. Varnum, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry.
Fans, of 100 years ago, 1. by Mrs J. DeWolf Perry.
Fan, about 150 years old, formerly owned by the wife of Prof. Winthrop, of Harvard College, I. by Mrs. R. S. Andrews.
Fans, of the olden time, 1. by John De Wolf.
Woven Silver Garters, with Knee Buckles set with Stones, worn by James Brown over 100 years ago, 1. by the Misses Herreshoff.
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BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL.
Full Set Silver Buttons, worn over 100 years ago, l. by the Misses Herreshoff.
Silver Buttons, 150 years old, 1. by Betsey H. Chadwick.
Buttons, made 120 years ago, from shells picked up on the shores of the Mediterranean, 1. by the Herreshoffs.
Shoe Buckles, Brilliants and Sapphires, formerly worn by Levi DeWolf, 1, by Mrs. T. DeW. Colt.
Silver Shoe Buckles, owned and worn by Benjamin Miller as early as 1750. He was the great-great grandfather of the present owner. L. by William J. Miller.
Old-fashioned Tortoise Shell Combs, 1. by C. H. Norris.
Silver Knee Buckles and Shoe Buckles, 1. by Mrs. Clara D. De Wolf.
Silver Knee Buckles, set with stones and curious old gold ring, 1. by Mrs. Viets G. Peck.
Carved Shell Comb, 1. by Miss Ida L. Munro.
Six Silver Buttons, 150 years old, l. by Benj. Davis.
Very Old Silver Watch, 1. by Miss C. M. Shepard.
Interesting Collection of Rings and Jewelry, worn by old Bris- tol people, l. by Mrs. Clara D. DeWolf.
Spectacles, 206 years old, 1. by Benj. Dawley.
Snuff Box, very old, formerly belonged to " Marm " May, 1. by Mrs. Morgan.
Mourning Pin, over 100 years old, with gold setting, l. by Mrs. Char- lotte Goode.
Gold Suspender Buckles, worn by Capt. Daniel Morice, 1. by Mrs. E. S. Babbitt.
Ring, set with Stones, formerly worn by Col. Sim. Potter, 1. by Mrs. M. J. Mason.
Two Gold Watches, enamelled and set with stones, l. by Messrs. J. and B. D. De.Wolf.
Pocket Book, 1748, 1. by Bennett J. Munro.
Cane, of the Hon. Benj. Bourne, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry.
Cane, made from the flagship Lawrence, commanded by Com. O. H. Perry on Lake Erie, in 1813, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry.
Cane, cut on the coast of Africa, by Com. M. C. Perry, when command- ing the fleet to suppress the slave trade, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry.
Cane, made from the keel of the ' Gaspee," presented to the late John
Brown Herreshoff, by Col. Ephraim Bowen, in 1825, then the only sur- vivor of the Gaspee expedition. The gift to Mr. Herreshoff was in honor of his grandfather, John Brown, who planned and headed the expedition. L. by C. F. Herreshoff.
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BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL.
ARTICLES OF DRESS, ETC.
Piece of Wedding Dress, worn by Esther Powell, daughter of Gabriel Bernon, the French Huguenot, 1. by Esther Powell Snow. Silk Dress, embroidered in colors, over 100 years old, formerly worn by Mrs. Levi Lane, maternal grandmother of Mrs. C. F. Herreshoff Piece of Wedding Dress, of figured silk, damask, of Prudence Miller,
who was married to Ebenezer Cole, January 9th, 1737, 1. by William J. Miller.
Satin Vest, elegantly embroidered in delicate patterns, with silk and spangles, formerly owned by James Brown, over 100 years old, 1. by C. F. Herreshoff.
Piece of Silk Dress, formerly worn by Mrs. Simeon Potter, 1. by Mrs. J. D. Mason.
Cotton Dress, a relic of 1765, 1. by Mrs. John Collins.
Brocade Silk Dress, with large brilliant floral pattern, presented by Capt. James Gibbs to his daughter about 1730-40 1. by Mrs. Rogers. Very Old Gold Pin, 1. by Miss M. E. Bourn.
Perfume Bag, brought from abroad, 1756, 1. by George J Adams.
Pair of Curious Outside Stays, very finely stitched, worn over 150 years ago, 1. by Mrs. James B. White.
Very old Stitched Needle Book, 1. by Loring Coggeshall.
Wedding Vest, silk, with fine silk embroidery, 112 years old, 1. by Viets G. Peck.
Old-fashioned Reticule, and two Pieces of Embroidery, 100 years old, done in Kensington stitch, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry.
Two Figured Gauze Veils, one green, and one white, 1. by Mrs. Morgan.
Two Samplers, one worked by Sarah Martindale, 1759, one by Nancy Martindale, 1761, 1. by Mrs Geo. J. Adams.
Piece of Embroidery, the work of Eliza Almy, great-granddaughter of Col. Job Almy, of the Pocasset Purchase, 1. by Mrs. James Corthell. Sampler, worked in 1785, by Hannah Drown, 1. by Miss H. B. Luther. Mortuary Piece, 1. by Allen B Sandford.
Wedding Dress of Mrs. John Brown, great-great-grandmother of the Herreshoff family, heavy white watered silk, 1. by the Misses Herreshoff.
Silk Dress, worn by Mrs. Brown, gorgeous brocaded bunches of flowers on light ground, 1. by Mrs. C. L. H. Chesbro'.
Wedding Dress of Abby A. Diman, wife of Gov. Byron Diman, with mantle, and thread lace veil, all elaborately embroidered by hand ; satin shoes, lace, etc., 1. by Mrs. C D. DeWolf.
Part of Wedding Dress of Mrs. Z. Leonard, 1750, 1. by Mrs. C. D. De Wolf.
Old Silk Dresses, 1. by Miss C. DeWolf and Mrs. Rogers.
Traveling Bag and Child's Shoes, I. by Daniel Tanner.
Framed Needlework, 1. by Mrs. Chas. F. Herreshoff, Jr.
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BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL.
DOCUMENTS AND OLD PAPERS.
History of the World, by Sir Walter Raleigh, published in 1614, 1. by Miss E. B. Diman.
Letter written by Gen. Washington to his Wife, introducing James Brown, uncle of C. F. Herreshoff, 1. by C. F. Herreshoff.
Bible, 200 years old, given by Mary Holmes to her daughter, Mrs. Benja- min Taylor, now owned and loaned by Mrs. Asha A. Card.
Bible, belonged to the grandmother of Bennet J. Munro, presented by her uncle on her 17th birthday, 1748, 1. by Miss Sarah B. Munro.
Child's Picture Book of "Ye Olden Time," 1. by Miss Sarah B. Munro.
Leaves, from the Pulpit Prayer Book used in St. Michael's Church before the Revolutionary war, and torn up by the Americans at that time, because of the prayers it contained for the King and Royal fam- ily, 1. by Mrs. M. Luther Simmons, and Miss Lizzie Simmons.
Prayer Book, formerly used by Rev. John Usher, and containing sev- eral services not now used, 1. by Mrs. M. Luther Simmons.
Subscription Paper, for starting the first Methodist Church in Bristol, 1. by Augustus N. Miller.
Public Document, Proceedings of R. I. Legislature, 1763, 1. by Mrs. John Gravlin.
Commission of Jonathan Russell, first Collector of the port of Bristol. This Commission is dated in 1804, and signed by Thomas Jef-
ferson, President, and James Madison, Secretary of State. L. by J. Russell Bullock.
Book, The Fulfilling of the Scripture, published in 1671, once owned by Hopestill Potter. It has been in Bristol since the early history of the town. L. by Miss Annie F. Munro.
One Very Large Bible, 1. by John P. Simmons.
New England Primer, 1. by Miss Emily Morse.
Two Manuscript Sermons, by Rev. John Williams, 1. by Miss Emily Morse.
Collection of Continental Money, 1 by Miss Emily Morse.
Life of Israel Potter, a Revolutionary soldier, 1. by Geo. J. Adams.
Israel Potter enlisted a private in Col. Patterson's regiment, one of the first regiments raised in this State. He was severely wounded in the bat- tle of Bunker Hill. In July, 1775, he volunteered as a seaman on board of the armed brigantine Washington, Capt. Sion Martindale, and was cap- tured and sent over to England a prisoner, where he remained in exile more than fifty years. He finally returned to this country in his old age with an only son, the sole survivor of a large family.
Diary of Rev. Henry Wight, from 1721 until 1812, containing an account of the "dark day," May, 1780, the earthquake in New En- gland, etc., etc., 1. by Mrs. E. A. Diman.
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BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL.
Almanac, 1682, with notes, recipes, etc., in writing, l. by Mrs. E. A. Diman.
Eight Sermons, preached by Rev. John Burt before the Revolution, 1. by Mrs. E. A. Diman.
Deed, sigued by John Walley, 1685, 1. by Mrs. E. A. Diman.
Book, containing a copy of the original constitution of the United States, 1. by H. Herbert Bosworth.
Deed, signed by the four original proprietors of Bristol, Nath'l Byfield, John Walley, Nath'l Oliver, Stephen Burton, 1. by S. Pomeroy Colt.
Copy of the Newport Mercury, March 11, 1760, 1. by John De Wolf. Copy of the N. Y. Gazette, November 15, 1773, 1. by John DeWolf. Copy of Newport Mercury, the type for printing of which was set
by Benj. Franklin, 1. by Miss C. DeWolf and Mrs. M. DeW. Rogers. A number of old New York and Boston Papers, sent to Bris- tol subscribers, 1. by George B. Diman.
Commission of William Munro, as Justice of the Peace, 1748, signed by ye Gov. Wm. Greene, 1. by Miss Annie F. Munro.
Manuscript Letter of Gov. William Coddington, 1718, to Wil- liam Munro, 1. by Miss A. F. Munro.
Manuscript Letter of Nath'l Byfield, 1720, 1. by Miss A. F. Munro. Manuscript Bill from Dr. Tallman, 1721, 1. by Miss A. F. Munro. An Appeal to the Court at Cambridge, from a judgment by Nath'l Blagrove, Judge of Probate, by Nath'l Kay and William Munro, 1730, 1. by Miss Annie F. Munro.
Contract, between Christo. Hopkins and Simeon Potter, for the delivery of a six-pounder carriage gun, 1759, 1. by Miss Annie F. Munro.
Very Old Newspaper, 1. by J. Gladding.
Old Deeds, 1. by Mrs J. R. Gardner.
History of Demonology, 1. by Miss M. G. DeWolf.
English Liberties, farewell Sermons, 1. by Samuel B. Coggeshall.
Judge Bourne's Commission, signed by John Adams, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry.
History of Britain, 1671, by John Milton, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry. Boston Gazette, 1749, 06 ".
Boston Evening Post, 1749,
66
The Massachusetts Continental, 1788, " "
Funeral Sermon, on the death of Gov. William Bradford, by Rev. Alexander V. Griswold, Bristol, 1803, 1. by William J. Miller.
Funeral Oration, delivered at R. I. College, 1775, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry.
Funeral Sermons, on old Bristol people, by Rev. H. Wight, 1. by Mrs. Clara D. DeWolf.
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BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL.
INDIAN RELICS.
The committee knowing that many specimens of Indian stone relics had been found at and near Bristol, desired to make a fine display of the same, and requested Mr. CHARLES GORTON, of Providence, to place on exhibition in the Town Hall, selections from his cabinet of Rhode Island Indian stone implements. He cheerfully complied with the request. also drawing attention to the following quotation he had made from Hutchin- son's Massachusetts, from a copy in the John Carter Brown Library : " At the beginning of Philip's war it was generally agreed that the Narragan- sett tribe consisted of 2,000 fighting men. They were the most curious coiners of the Wampumpeag, and supplied the other nations with many pendants and bracelets, also with tobacco pipes of stone, some blue, and some white. They furnished the earthern vessels and pots for cookery, and other domestic uses." The following is a list of the specimens placed on exhibition by Mr. Charles Gorton :
1. Steatite Pot, from the Angell, Johnston, Indian Quarry.
2. Pipe, found in a grave near Silver Spring.
3. Sinker, found on the Hon. S. W. Church farm, Bristol.
4. Two specimens of Bracers, found in a grave near Silver Spring.
5. Spindle Whirl, from a grave near Apponaug.
6. Slickstone, found in East Providence, near Fort Hill.
7. Two frames of Arrow Points, found for the most part on Warwick plains, consisting of nearly all the varieties.
8. Lot of Borers, Awls and Drills, found at Wickford.
9. Amulet, found on the Armington farm, Kettle Point.
10. Four Pipes, found at Bristol, Quidnesset, Wickford and Poto- womut.
11. Gouge, found in Coventry.
12. Skin Dresser, from Newport.
13. Chisel, from Pawtucket.
14. Roller, from Field's Point.
15. Pestle, found in an Indian grave at Swan Point.
16. Axe, found while excavating for the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Company building, South Main street, Providence.
17. Stone Mask, found in 1873, at Field's Point, one of only three spec- imens known in the United States.
18. Arrow Points, in process of formation, found near Old Maids' Cove.
19. Pipe, from Rumstick Point.
20. Hematite, or War Paint, found in a grave near Newport.
21. Two Copper Spoons, from a grave at Charlestown.
22. Spear Points, found on Point Judith.
23. Knife Blades, from different parts of the State.
24. Stone, used in Indian games, from Wickford.
20
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BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL.
25. Scraper, used with metal to produce fire, from Prudence Island.
26. Harrow Points, from Charlestown.
27. Hatchet, found near Apponaug.
28. Polished Celt, from Charlestownl.
29. Hematite Paint Cup, from East Providence.
30. Sling Stone, from Warwick.
31. One foot of Bone Money, found in a grave in a sand hill, near . Apponaug.
32. Seven feet of Wampumpeag, found on the farm of George W. Greene, Bristol.
33. Five feet of Wampum, found on the Poor Farm, Bristol.
34. Four feet of Wampum, found on the Dyer farm, near Devil's Foot Rock, Wickford.
35. Four feet of Wampum, found in a grave in a sand hill, on the Dyer farm, near Wickford.
36. Arrow, showing the manner of attaching the point.
37. Iron Hatchet, showing imprints of blanket, from an Indian grave, George W. Greene farm, Bristol.
38. Copper Cup, in which Wampumpeag was found in a grave on George W. Greene's farm.
Mr. Gorton exhibited many other Indian Stone Relics of equal interest, also a Deed of a Slave, dated at Newport, R. I., 1746; also an autographic letter of Samuell Gorton, dated Warwick, R. I., 1649; also a package of Colonial and Continental Currency.
Stone Tomahawk and Pestle, loaned by Mrs. Clara D. De Wolf.
Two large Stone Axes, 1. by C. F. Herreshoff, Jr.
Two Stone Axes, 1. by Jesse Gladding.
Indian Hammer, « .. . ..
String of Wampum, 1. by. Jesse Gladding.
String of Wampum, 1. by George W. Greene.
Indian Pestle, 1. by
Indian Pipes, " "
Indian Stone Implements, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry.
Kernels of Charred Corn, picked up on the site of the old Indian For- tress, in South Kingstown, the place of the Great Swamp fight, December 19, 1675, more than two hundred years ago-and yet they are well pre- served, and some of the kernels quite perfect. Dug up August 19, 1873. L. by William J. Miller.
A fact worthy of mention, connected with this Loan Exhibition, is, that notwithstanding the large number of articles, and the freedom with which many of them were handled, not a single article was broken or missed in the entire collection.
CORRESPONDENCE.
NEWPORT, R. I., 8 September, 1880.
I am very grateful to the town of Bristol for doing me the honor of inviting me to join in celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of its existence; and I regret exceedingly that it will not be in my power to be its guest on that auspicious day. With the hope that its history for the next two hundred years may be as beautiful and patriotic and happy as for the last,
I am, most heartily, Its greatly obliged well wisher, GEO. BANCROFT.
CONSULATE OF THE UNITED STATES, LISBON, Sept. 1st, 1880.
LeBaron B. Colt, Esq., President of the Bi-Centennial Committee of Bristol :
DEAR SIR :- I have much pleasure in acknowledging the receipt of the invitation of the Bi-Centennial Committee of the town of Bristol, to be present at the celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the settle- ment of the town, on the 24th of September, 1880.
I regret very much that the long distance of my present residence from my native town, and my official duties here, render it impossible for me to be present, which would be to me a great pleasure.
I am proud to be a son of Bristol, and although I am separated from it by three thousand miles of space, and eighteen years of time, yet my interest in it is the same as ever.
During that time more than two thousand of the inhabitants of the town have died, and among them many of my old friends and acquaintances ; yet as a proof of the conservative character of the town, I find on your committee of forty-five that all but three are old friends and acquaintances.
Descended, as I am, from the earliest settlers of the town, having cast my first vote as a landholder on land which had never been out of my family since the original charter was granted, having been made a repre- sentative of the town at a very early age in the legislature, and always
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having taken the greatest interest in the annals, local history, as well as thie prosperity of the town, you can well imagine the sympathy I feel in the reunion you are about to celebrate.
With my best wishes for the good health and prosperity of you, and your fellow committeemen, as well as all our fellow townsmen in the good old town of Bristol,
I remain,
Yours very truly, HENRY W. DIMAN.
BOULOGNE-SUR-MER, FRANCE, Aug. 13, 1880.
Mr. Le Baron Colt, President of Committee :
DEAR SIR :- I am in receipt of your invitation to attend, as a " Son of Bristol," the two hundredth anniversary of the settlement of that town. I regret that I shall be unable to accept, in person, but shall, in heart, be with you all. I should be very happy to clasp the hands of old-time schoolmates and friends, after an absence of thirty years, but the pleasure is denied me. On the " day we celebrate," I will drink to " Bristol, its sons and its daughters," hoping at some not far distant day, to meet and greet them all.
Very sincerely yours, GEO. T. BOURNE.
CHICAGO, Sept. 17, 1880.
Messrs. LeBaron B. Colt, William J. Miller and Edward Babbitt, Com- mittee, etc. :
GENTLEMEN :- Your highly valued communication of the first of Sep- tember inst., inviting me to unite with the sons and daughters of Bristol on the 24th instant, in celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of the settlement of our venerated town, was duly received. Among the lasting regrets of my life will be that of not being able to have been with you in person on that interesting occasion. But be assured I shall be there in spirit, and on that day shall at least in imagination listen to the eloquent words of Prof. Diman, as . he calls up from the dim and misty past the many events of interest in our town's history ; and to Bishop Howe, who will invest the stories of the past as only
" He best can paint them, who shall feel them most."
And now wishing you perfect success in your undertaking, hoping and fondly believing that the future of Bristol may be even more than the past, I look in imagination down the vista of Time to that day
" When other men our lands shall till, When other men our streets will fill, And other birds will sing as gay, As bright the sunshine as to-day, Two hundred years from now."
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BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL.
William J. Miller, Esq .:
MY DEAR SIR :- I duly received your Committee's note of invitation to the Bi-Centennial, and since then a similar one from your President, Mr. Colt. To-day I reply addressing myself to the Committee. I can assure you I am much grieved at the thought of not being with you on the 24th. I have had no time to prepare any proper expression of my thoughts fit for the occasion, and can only send my best wishes.
Yours with warm regard, WILLIAM F. D'WOLF, Chicago, Ill., 226 Dearborn avenue.
JERSEYVILLE, Ill., September 18, 1880. Le Baron B. Colt, Esq., Bristol, R. I .:
MY DEAR SIR :- Mrs. Warren and I each received from you as President of the Committee, your kind and cordial invitation to attend the Bi-Cen- tennial Anniversary of the town of Bristol, and we desire to express to you our thanks for your kindly remembrance of us, and our unfeigned regrets on account of our inability to be present on that delightful occa- sion. Although nearly forty-five years have elapsed since I left the home of my boyhood, and many new and strong ties now bind me to the West, yet the very name of the dear old town of Bristol, awakens in my mind a host of pleasant memories, and I long to revisit the place where the sunny days of my childhood and youth were spent, clouded only by the sad bereavement I suffered in the death of my mother, whose dust now reposes in your cemetery. I can conceive of nothing temporal in its nature, that would afford my wife and myself so much pleasure as this contemplated reunion of the sons and daughters of Bristol, if we could be with you. It seems to me that it would be a foretaste of the blessed reunion of the redeemed in the bright home above the skies. There are living in Bristol many of our kindred whom we have never seen, and we should be most happy to meet them and exchange fraternal greetings, and together trace out our common lineage, and have our hearts bound with quicker pulsa- tions as hand clasped hand in mutual recognition of the sacred ties of blood binding us together. Time has also spared a few whose faces we have seen and whose visages as they appeared in youth still sweetly linger in our memories. Oh! what joy it would give us to greet them once more on this side of the " river." I often think of your mother as I last saw her in Bristol, in the bloom and beauty of her girlhood, and her beautiful image is before me now as I write, and I grieve that I may not see her again. Circumstances beyond my control prevent my leaving here at this time, and I am compelled to forego the delight it would afford me to be with you. A kind Providence has favored me since my removal from Bristol. I came here a youth, and am now a patriarch. I have eight children, four sons, and four daughters, all married but one, and my grandchildren now number seventeen. I have lost by death one child, and
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one grandchild. My family are all pleasantly situated, and if I should bring them all with me to your Bi-Centennial, the number in attendance would be very materially increased; and I don't think Bristol would feel dishonored by the twenty-five lineal descendants of that son and daughter of hers who left her pleasant shores and her shady streets more than forty years ago, to seek a home in the " Prairie State."
With our kind regards to your mother, and our best wishes for the health and prosperity of all our old friends in the dear old town,
I am very truly yours,
GEO. E. WARREN.
NEW YORK, Sept. 10th, 1880. Mr. Wm. J. Miller, Committee, etc. :
MY DEAR FELLOW TOWNSMAN :- The kind manner in which you have communicated to me the inviation of your committee to be present at the celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the settlement of Bristol, the home of my ancestors; and the gratitude I feel for the honor con- ferred upon me, will constrain me, if possible, to comply with your invita- tion. If not, I shall endeavor to comply with the request to favor you " with a letter embodying such thoughts as the occasion may prompt"; which, of course, will contain the greater part of my intended speech.
Should our descendants inherit, and copy, the integrity, energy and piety of our forefathers, the sons of Bristol will already have made sure the prayer for her " esto perpetua," which is fervently breathed for her by the oldest of her surviving children,
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